Matt Heafyhttp://www.guitarworld.com/taxonomy/term/616/all
enTrivium Guitarist Matt Heafy's 2014 Summer Tour Survival Guide — Mayhem Festhttp://www.guitarworld.com/trivium-guitarist-matt-heafys-2014-summer-tour-survival-guide-mayhem-fest
<!--paging_filter--><p><em>In this new feature from the August 2014 issue of <em>Guitar World</em>, the guitarists of Avenged Sevenfold, Morbid Angel, Trivium and other metal acts tell how they'll beat the heat and tame the crowds on the season's biggest tours.</em></p>
<p><strong><em>TODAY: Trivium Guitarist Matt Heafy — MAYHEM FEST</em></strong></p>
<p><strong>Tips for playing in extreme heat?</strong></p>
<p>Luckily, since our band is from Florida, we’re never really hot. </p>
<p><strong>One item you’ll carry with you at all times this summer?</strong></p>
<p>Me and some of our crew guys have trained and learned jiu-jitsu. So my 10-by-10 jiu-jitsu mats, my gi and my yoga mat—those are the essentials. </p>
<p><strong>Considerations when playing an outdoor show versus an indoor show?</strong></p>
<p>As far as set lists go, I believe there is a certain threshold of speed and technicality that doesn’t translate well live under any circumstances. There is an extreme side of music to our band, and if you play very fast and very brutal, it does literally get lost in the air. </p>
<p><strong>Primary gear you’ll be playing this summer?</strong></p>
<p>It’s just my [Epiphone Les Paul Custom] signature guitars. There’s just no purpose for refrigerators of stacked gear or pedal boards upon pedal boards. I cut all that out and our tone is clearer, and it’s the most powerful it’s ever been right now. I’ve always believed that the less space between my fingers and the listeners’ ears, the better.</p>
<p><strong>Tips for winning over a tough crowd?</strong></p>
<p>I believe that there’s a fine line between berating and being strong and encouraging. I’ve seen a lot of frontmen get very angry at a crowd when they’re not getting their way. They stomp their feet, yell at the crowd and demean them. That’s one way to lose a crowd even further. I find that if you come out with a unified feeling, allowing the crowd to be a part of you, you can still be aggressive and empowering. </p>
<p><strong>Highlight of your band’s set list?</strong></p>
<p>Usually when we play “Strife,” people get into it. It’s cool to see the power of a single. If not, then definitely “In Waves” gets reaction. </p>
<p><strong>Advice for a band just starting to play live?</strong></p>
<p>Practice your instruments. I’m always shocked at how many guitarists out there are terrible but still get accolades. Hopefully they know who they are, and hopefully they start practicing and practicing what they preach. Anything any great guitar player has ever done is possible for any other guitar player. Anything you see, you can do; it just takes time, practice and dedication. That goes for singers as well. Too many of them rely on backing tracks live. </p>
<p>We were signed to a major label at 18 years old, and we’ve made every mistake you can make being in a band. I’m happy we did those things early. You have to make mistakes to know how to fix them. You have to have guitars break and go through technical difficulties. I wouldn’t change any of those things. I would rather hear a singer struggle to hit a note and have emotion versus hearing it though a computer. </p>
<p>Also, you have to take care of yourself. Part of being in a band that tours and plays every night is you need to perform at 100 percent as a live musician. Sure, there are people that can live unhealthy and be drug addicts and alcoholics and still play well, but I’m not one of those people, and I think a majority of human beings are not those kinds of people. So on the road I’m very strict with myself: no caffeine or alcohol on show days. On days off, I’ll allow myself a coffee or a beer or two, but aside from that it’s very healthy living. It’s about performing at the maximum capacity for the people who are there to see you do what you do. </p>
<p>Watch the video for "Strife" here:</p>
<p><iframe width="620" height="365" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/IIvSXocE6YY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><em>Photo: Jesse Wild/Total Guitar Magazine/Getty Images</em></p>
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http://www.guitarworld.com/trivium-guitarist-matt-heafys-2014-summer-tour-survival-guide-mayhem-fest#comments2014 Summer Tour Survival GuideAugust 2014Matt HeafyMayhem FestivalTriviumInterviewsNewsFeaturesMagazineMon, 07 Jul 2014 14:51:27 +0000Sammi Chichesterhttp://www.guitarworld.com/article/21718Review: Epiphone Limited Edition Custom Shop Matt Heafy Signature Les Paul Custom-7 Guitarhttp://www.guitarworld.com/review-epiphone-limited-edition-custom-shop-matt-heafy-signature-les-paul-custom-7-guitar
<!--paging_filter--><p><em>This video is bonus content related to the April 2014 issue of </em>Guitar World<em>. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue on newsstands now or at our <a href="http://store.guitarworld.com/collections/guitar-world/products/guitar-world-april-14-kiss/?&amp;utm_source=gw_homepage&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=AprilVideosPage">online store</a>.</em></p>
<p>When Epiphone approached Trivium guitarist Matt Heafy to collaborate on his signature guitar, he had two requests: the guitar had to play, feel and sound like the Les Paul Custom that he’s played for these many years, and it had to be reasonably priced—Heafy rejects the trend of offering signature guitars in either price-prohibitive or performance-compromised versions. </p>
<p>Through their close collaboration, Epiphone and Heafy were able to reproduce every specification of his original LP Custom and build it to a price point that’s not out of the average player’s reach. Heafy further challenged Epiphone for this seven-string version, asking that it be just as easy to finger as the six-string and almost identically proportioned. The resulting signature Matt Heafy Les Paul Custom-7 is the actual guitar that he now shreds onstage and in the studio, and it’s one of the most playable seven-strings you can buy. The resulting signature Matt Heafy Les Paul Custom-7 is the actual guitar that he now shreds onstage and in the studio, and it’s one of the most playable seven-strings you can buy. </p>
<p><strong>Features</strong> </p>
<p>Although it looks like a standard gloss-black LP, there are many inconspicuous details that differentiate the Heafy LP Custom-7 from its brethren. Weight was a serious consideration in creating this Epiphone. It had to be light, but not to the point of creating sterile-sounding lows. Epiphone started with a mahogany body, then added a thin maple top to impart tonal clarity without adding perceptible weight. The neck is carved with Epiphone’s Sixties SlimTaper and a D-shaped profile, achieving its superlative comfort with heavily rolled shoulders and tighter-than-average string spacing. It truly feels only slightly wider than the average six-string’s neck. An Axcess neck-heel taper removes any barrier to the upper frets, allowing you to slide your fretting hand directly behind the top registers. </p>
<p>The EMG active pickups include a 707 in the neck and an 81-7 in the bridge. These are wired to individual tone and volume pots in a traditional LP configuration but with the added twist of the neck pickup’s tone pot serving as a kill switch. Known as a “kill pot,” tapping this spring-loaded pot interrupts the signal no matter which pickup is selected, creating the stutter effect made so popular by Randy Rhoads and other LP notables. </p>
<p><strong>Performance</strong> </p>
<p>You only have to play one note on the Heafy LP Custom to know that this is a shredder’s guitar. The action is low and flat across the 12-inch-radius board, and the top-to-bottom note volume is very even. Sweeps are executed as easily on the Heafy Custom-7 as with any conventional six-string, particularly due to the slightly tighter string spacing. You can certainly achieve brutal tones with the ceramic-based bridge bucker, but it really excels at producing iron-fist punch and clarifying notes through high-gain rigs, all while remaining highly musical and rich. Neck pickup response is very quick and bright enough to deliver expressive solos on the low strings. </p>
<p><strong>List Price</strong> $1,332</p>
<p><strong>Manufacturer</strong> Epiphone Guitar Corp., epiphone.com </p>
<p><strong>Cheat Sheet</strong><br />
Electronics include active EMG-707 neck and EMG-81-7 bridge pickups and a spring-loaded kill pot that momentarily interrupts the signal when tapped. </p>
<p>The tapered Axcess neck heel makes it possible to play in the topmost frets, while the neck’s rolled shoulders help the Custom-7 feel akin to a six-string’s neck width.</p>
<p><strong>The Bottom Line</strong><br />
If you’ve struggled to transfer your six-string shredder skills to a seven-string, the Epiphone Matt Heafy signature Les Paul Custom-7’s narrow and slim neck is the ax that can help you reach that next level.</p>
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http://www.guitarworld.com/review-epiphone-limited-edition-custom-shop-matt-heafy-signature-les-paul-custom-7-guitar#commentsApril 2014EpiphoneMatt HeafyTriviumElectric GuitarsNewsGearMagazineTue, 04 Mar 2014 16:37:03 +0000Eric Kirkland, Video by Paul Riariohttp://www.guitarworld.com/article/20536